Tuesday, August 16, 2022
Elder of Ziyon
I hadn't heard that name in years.
Back in 2010, I saw that Rovics had a series of really bad, barely sung songs that were rabidly anti-Israel and aligned with other "social justice" issues.
While Rovics has a song to praise the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, he seems to lose interest in Jews fighting when they actually win. Similarly, he has a song about how terrible it was for Jews and Muslims to be expelled from Christian Europe - but he says that Jews are European and Israelis are Nazis.
And while I am sure he would insist he is not in any way antisemitic, one of his more recent songs ironically titled "God Bless the USA" lists the things he hates about America - which includes "Jewish bankers."
Here are the lyrics from the beginning so no one can accuse me of taking it out of context.
God bless all the Indians living in their reservationsGod bless all the strippers and their bodily gyrationsGod bless Trump Towers reaching up so highGod bless the Blue Angels screaming through the skyGod bless Appalachia, mountains and moonshineGod bless the creeks, bulldozers and strip minesGod bless the megachurches and all of those who speak in tonguesGod bless the corporate ladder, every single rungGod bless the homeless families living under bridgesGod bless the golden valleys and the mountain ridgesGod bless the beaches and the swamps and the alligatorsGod bless the NFL and the Oakland RaidersGod bless the USAGod bless the conspiracy theorists and the Jewish bankersGod bless ExxonMobil and all their oil tankersGod bless Clearchannel, Toby Keith and Taylor SwiftGod bless anorexia, lyposuction and faceliftsGod bless the mighty rivers and the nuclear reactorsGod bless Fox, Rupert Murdoch and X FactorGod bless the USA
Yeah, this sounds antisemitic to me. (He could have said "their Jewish bankers" if he meant that they were part of the conspiracy theory.)
At the time, I wrote my own song, with an accurate history of the Palestinian people, called "Pawns of the Middle East." I didn't bother working too hard on rhyming and meter, because Rovics sure doesn't.
At the time, I found someone to actually sing this for me, but unfortunately my YouTube channel was taken down and I cannot find the original video anymore.
The pawns of the Middle East
In 1948 their leaders abandoned them
The rich Arabs packed up and went to Lebanon
Their confident leaders told them to get out of the way
So the Jews could be slaughtered and then they'll be back to stay
But that's not what happened. Their fighters didn't fight.
Wild rumors scared them, and most then joined the flight
They ended up in Egypt, Syria, Jordan
The Palestinian Arabs thought they'd start over again
They thought that they'd be welcomed by the Arabs who said that they loved them
But they were placed in giant camps, and had to stay in tents
They thought that they were all Arabs, but they were only that in name
The other Arabs didn't want them to remind them of their shame
Chorus:
Decade after decade, the Arabs let them down
They treated them like animals, and just used them as pawns
They thought that their problem was that they didn't have a state
But the real problem was that they were taught only to hate.
They wanted jobs, they wanted land, they wanted to fit in
Their hosts only wanted the millions given by the UN
They kept them stuck in camps, in disgusting misery
They did everything possible to ensure they'd never be free.
The Arab states passed laws to let them know where they stand
They couldn't work in certain jobs, couldn't own any land
They had no choice, no rights, no control over their fate
And they raised a generation who was taught nothing but hate.
Chorus
Jordan never gave them an inch of "historic Palestine"
The entire world had no problem. They thought that this was fine.
The only land that Arabs would allow them to receive
Was the land that would be left over when they forced the Jews to leave.
Their new leaders taught terror, for them not to be so meek
Jordan slaughtered thousands of them in a matter of just weeks
And so it went, year after year, kept in dire straits
400,000 of them got kicked out of Kuwait
Decade after decade, the Arabs let them down
They treated them like animals, and just used them as pawns
They thought that their problem was that they didn't have a state
But the real problem was that they were taught only to hate.
At the time, I found someone to actually sing this for me, but unfortunately my YouTube channel was taken down and I cannot find the original video anymore.
So if anyone wants to record this folksong, I'll make a new video.
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